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Continued from Part One Godly Fire is Ultimately Purification "For Thou hast tried us, O God; Thou hast refined us as silver is refined." (Psa 66:10) "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa 48:10). "As for me, I baptize you...

Organized Christianity (Protestant and Catholic) have interpretive frameworks today which limit their understanding of the Scriptures to manmade rules. Because of this, the church largely ignores the fact that virtually all of Jesus' teachings urge us to look past the literal to the higher...

There should be no disagreement that God may be said to be characterized by one superintending principle: perfection. many attributes are found in God--mercy, love, justice, compassionate, forgiving, etc.--but if He lacks perfection in these or any facet of His essence, He must ultimately fall...

What are workable parameters in determining the difference between what the Scriptures say and what they mean? I get tired of hearing, "Well you go ahead and twist the Bible to what you want it to say, but as for me I'll just trust what God says!" I take the position that the highest level of...

I’m looking for intelligent, reasoned opinions on the topic of God’s perfection in His treatment of good and evil. Comments would be appreciated, if you’d like. I’ll preface my questions with this: A. God’s characteristics (wisdom, justice, mercy, love, etc.) are of logical necessity governed...

I have my own idea of what truth is, but it's a question Pilate asked Jesus (Jn 18:38) to which there was no recorded answer. I'm curious to see what others think. So....how does one define truth?

Just curious to see how other URs approach this topic, since it's traditionally one of the most popular jabs taken by non-universalist Christians at Christian universalism.... "If God is going to save all, what role does Jesus' sacrifice actually play? What's the point of God sending His Son...

Can a Fundamentalist be a Universalist? I’d say yes. I’m living proof of it. Maybe a better question is, how does a Universalist defend a fundamentalist belief system? This may make for dense reading, but I think it makes sense. Definitions: By "fundamentalist", I mean the position that...

With the exception of the earliest church, which was arguably more sensitive to the Spirit in the years following Pentecost than the modern church which followed, tradition has accepted the concept of eternal hell. Most scholars over the years have stopped short of declaring the notion of...

[NOTE: This is my own writing: I have not copied this from another source.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seems that virtually all debate on internet theology boards about universal salvation begins somewhere in the middle. Some of...

Yes and no, it seems. Those traditional tenets from God are true and should be conformed to. Most Christians would likely agree to this. But human nature has a record of corrupting good things. In spiritual matters, we have a propensity of gradually inserting falsehood into truth to make its...

I believe it does, that the esoteric sense of the Bible is its strongest and most important sense, and that virtually all Jesus' teachings direct His audience toward the esoteric as more significant. [Had to drop a similar thread two or three weeks ago, but made my way back....] Any debaters?

As my signiture infers, I contend for a form of esotericism, so you should already be aware of my bias in this thread. I think spiritualizing can be evil, but that a legitimate esoteric sense exists beyond the literal meaning of the Bible, which is superior to it in every way. Any thoughts...